FF7 Meets FF9
by CloudTrueSoldier
Summary: This is a crossover between two Final Fantasies, hope you like it. R
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, they belong to Squarsoft.  
  
  
The tingling sense of revival flooded the man's sensations. As he opened his eyes for the first time in over a year his first site happened to be his mother. His real mother in fact. Not that one that had given him his super cells, and his amazing power, but the mother that had given him life. He searched his side and quickly found his giant Masamune. He took the sword and ran it through the smiling woman. And as she looked at him in horror and pain he mearly laughed.  
  
He left the house as the woman was still bleeding to death. An evil lurked in the air about him, and soon the house set on fire, the woman still inside. She cried out to the man that had once been her boy.  
  
What have I done? She thought as the cataclysmic effects of her behavior were suddenly put up to the light of realization. She didn't scream in pain, more in anguish at what her son had done to her. And she cried out until she no longer could breathe.  
  
Laughter echoed over the plains as long, silver hair blew in the wind. The man walked over to a place in the field, completely normal in everyway except one. It held a certain materia beneath it. Sephiroth quickly demolished the small bit of land and looked into the hole he had made. His loss was lost without his true power ever shown. And now he was back, his true power soon to be released on the world that had brought him so close to death.  
  
He took the materia in one hand, feeling the power of it run through his very veins. His whole existance ran through the materia. It was called the Master Sephiroth Gold. Or so it had been by his late creator. The MSG, its common scientific nickname, held Sephiroth's very soul inside. And it also contained thousands of never before seen spells. Including the one he had so been looking forward to.  
  
But now, what dimension should his new minions come from. He concentrated hard, his mind wandering through dimension after dimension. Finally he found the one he was looking for. He began to open the portal, the rift between dimensions. Space and time collided in a vicious explosion. Sephiroth laugh triumphantly as forms began to appear in the portal. The first one through was a machine type thing.  
  
"Welcome Necron." The man dressed in black said, as Necron approached.  
  
"Welcome Kuja." He spoke again. Kuja nodded, his flame red hair blowing in the wind also.  
  
"Welcome Garland." His voice rang out as the dark figure moved through the rift.  
  
"Thank you." Garland replied. "But who are you?"  
  
"I am Sephiroth."  
  
"Why are we here?" Asked Necron, a tall life form with rings orbiting around it in many differeny directions  
  
"You are here to help me defeat a trouble some band of characters. I know you will be up to the task. That is why I have summoned you." He laughed demonically and began to answer their many questions.  
  
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Cloud stood outside the door to Tifa's bar and home. His stomach was doing backflips with the butterflies doing there thing. He held out the ring again, looking at it as it gleemed in the morning's light. He wondered if she would say yes. He summoned all his courage as he walked up to the door.  
  
Once, twice, three knocks. He heard foot steps, soft padded foot steps. Tifa appeared in the door way, wearing her pajamas. Cloud turned a bright red. Tifa did the same.  
  
"Ah, maybe I should go-" He said, turning around.  
  
"No, no its Ok." She said pulling him back in. "I'll just go get dressed real quick." She hurried back into the house.  
  
Cloud sat down on the couch, pulling out the ring again. Tifa suddenly hurried back in and he snapped the case close, stuffing it back in his pocket.  
  
"So why are you here so early?" Tifa asked inquisitively at Cloud.  
  
"Umm... I dunno, I just thought I would come to see you."  
  
"In my pajamas?!"  
  
"No, not like that." He turned red once again.  
  
She giggled, "I know, I was just teasing you." Cloud scratched the back of his head.  
  
"And...uhh..well there's another reason." He said, getting down on one knee.  
  
Tifa blushed vibrant red. He opened the ring case. It flashed as it caught a stray ray from the sun.  
  
"Tifa, will you marry me?" He asked, his voice a bit shaky.  
  
"Of course." She replied happily, as she picked Cloud up and gave him a big hug. "It took you long enough."  
  
The two smiled happily at each other. And then they kissed. It was a long and passionate kiss. And they only stopped to catch their breath. Then their kiss continued. After a while they pulled back, both at the same time. Each smiled at the other.  
  
"You're a really great kisser." She told him, her smile remaining.  
  
Cloud scratched the back of his head. "You too."  
  
"So when are we getting married?" She asked.  
  
"Hummmm, I haven't really worked out the details but-"  
  
"Howabout tommarow?"  
  
"Ok."   
  
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Zidane and Garnet stood in disbalief as yet again they were in a completely different world with the rest of the gang.  
  
"Man, what happened?" Zidane asked.  
  
"Quickly princess, we must get back to safety." Steiner said upon their arrival.  
  
"Calm down Steiner, we're not going anywhere, we might as well explore a little. Look, there's a town over there." She pointed toward a town that seemed to have a gloomy cloud around it.  
  
"It looks big." Vivi said, his worrisome voice even more so than usual.  
  
"C'mon you guys, lets go." Zidane said, leading them toward the huge gloomy town. It seemed that it was under some repair.  
  
"Princess we must be careful of who we talk to." Steiner said, his voice trying to sound as important as possible.  
  
"Come on Rusty, we need to find out some info about where we are." Zidane's annoyed voice responded.  
  
"Zidane's right." Freya said. "We need to find more information about this place before we can even know what is going on."  
  
Steiner grumbled as the vote went against him. Dagger laughed as his armor clanked along.  
  
"Looks like we're here." Vivi said, pointing out the obvious. "It says you need a key." He approached the door.  
  
"A key?" Zidane asked as he tried the door. Steiner joined him, but the door wouldn't budge. A couple of mogs flew up to help with them.  
  
"Eiko I don't think the mogs will do much-" But before Zidane could finish the door popped open as one of the mogs teleported to the other side and unlocked the door.  
  
The small girl giggled at Zidane's red face. The group walked in through the doors. The sector 7 slums laying in front of them.  
  
"Doesn't exactly look like a geat place to live." Amarant pointed out.  
  
The hustle and bustle of everyday slum life moved on as the newcomers looked on. "Yea." Zidane said, nodding his head.  
  
"Let's find someone." Dagger said happily. They group spread out and tried to find someone who could help them. Vivi was pushed down a few times, and the others and almost as bad luck. Finally Zidane conviced someone to fill him in on what was happening in the world. He went back and informed the group when they were once again together.  
  
"So the main evil in this place has been killed?" Freya asked.  
  
"Yea, some group named AVALANCHE killed some guy named Sephiroth. Their main guy was named Cloud or something." He said, finishing his brief summary.  
  
"Cloud? What kind of a name is Cloud?" Steiner asked.  
  
"I dunno, but he obviously wasn't the kinda guy you wanted to get in a fight with." Zidane said.  
  
"I think we should go find this Cloud guy." Eiko said. "He's probably cute, like you Zidane." Zidane gave her a sideways glance, and Dagger just laughed.  
  
"Well where do we find him." Vivi asked.  
  
"The guys said he lived in a place called Kalm." Zidane said.  
  
"Then we shall go find Kalm." Steiner informed the group. And so they left Midgar, never seeing its true extent. They got a map from a slum dealer before they left though, promising to repay him later.  
  
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Barret laughed heartily as Cloud and Tifa kissed yet again. Red and Vincent were over in their own corner talking about who knows what. Cloud blushed as Tifa pulled away from the kiss she had started. She smiled happily at how well their wedding had gone. But suddenly another blond haired kid opened the doors and came in, his own group of followers behind him.  
  
"Hey, Who are you guys?" Yuffie asked, she had been watching who came in all night, and those that she could she would pickpocket. But these people looked different.  
  
"Who here is Cloud?" Zidane asked the group. Cloud walked over to them Tifa following behind him.  
  
"I'm Cloud." Cloud smiled as he took Zidane's hand. Zidane glimpes at Tifa, noticing a resemblance to Dagger, only Tifa was a bit older.  
  
"I'm Zidane, and I'm not exactly sure how I got here. You see we came from some other world, we're not sure how, but we're here." He said, explaining his situation. "We heard you saved the world before."  
  
Cloud scratched the back of his head. "Yea, that was us." He motioned to the group that had accompanied him down into the North Crater.  
  
"You guys must be strong after what I heard Sephiroth could do."  
  
"Yea, we're pretty strong." Cloud said, wondering where this was going.  
  
"Anyway-" Suddenly Kuja broke into the building, with Necron in some sort of human form and Garland.  
  
"Kuja!" Zidane yelled. Cloud drew his Buster Sword, having kept it with him due to habbit ever since Sephiroth was defeated.  
  
"Kuja, I Thought you were dead, and I thought you had turned good." Zidane said, but Kuja mearly cast Ultima on the group. Cloud quickly cast wall and MBarrier on everyone. Tifa was next to cast Regan with Cure spells ready. Barret's gun was flashing as Vincent's was also. Red was leaping at the villans and Yuffie had pulled out her weapon. Cloud was hacking and slashing at the three villians. Tifa was punching and kicking at anyone of the three that dared to get close to her. They were quickly overwhelmed and forced to retreat from the hall.  
  
Zidane and his group were starring in awe as Cloud and his group quickly took out what had taken them a long and hard fight to take out. Cloud returned to Zidane.  
  
"You know them?"  
  
"Well yea, they were the villians from our dimension."  
  
"But how did they get here..." Tifa mused.  
  
"I don't know, but someone had to have summoned them." Zidane said.  
  
The groups sat down and began to discuss how they had possible managed to get hear, and they finally concluded it was some freak accident. And for now Zidane and his friends were found a hotel to stay in while they tried and figured out a way back home.  
  
  
  



	2. Encounter and Capture

Encounter and Capture  
  
"151...152...153...154...Oh come on Cloud this is the fifth set of 500. I think you're over doing it a litte." Tifa was spotting Cloud at the local sector 7 gym. The sun shown through the window. The bright morning rays landing on the newly shined gym floor.  
  
"Almost...done..." He said, having just broken a sweat.  
  
"Ever since that Zidane has got here you've been trying to show off."  
  
"Just...working out." He replied, putting the weights back on the rack.  
  
Tifa decided not to delve into the subject, "Well now that we're moving the people from the slums to the upper plate things have gotten really busy." Cloud's influence on the city had exeeded even the Mayor's.  
  
"I hate paperwork." Was all he could respond with.   
  
She giggled.  
  
"At least you don't have to do any paperwork tonight." His face burned red at the comment. And at that momment none other than Zidane walked into the gym, his wife following him.  
  
"I still say he's too young to be married." Cloud said.  
  
"I think they're cute." Tifa replied.  
  
"At least they got some new clothes." Cloud added.  
  
"Oh hush up." She turned back to face Cloud, "Come on, let's go."  
  
"Alright, I'm finished anyway." He said taking her outstretched hand. The two left, heading back to their private house in Sector 7.  
  
"Zidane, ever since you've gotten here all you've been trying to do is show off to that Cloud guy." Dagger said to Zidane, unknowingly mimicking Tifa's comments.  
  
"That guy is stong, and I've got to get as strong as him."  
  
"Zidane, you're perfect the way you are." She said, watching him set up with the weights.  
  
"Well from the things he's been telling me about this Sephiroth I'd better train as much and as hard as I can." He said, starting his workout.  
  
"Yea, and the way he took care of Necro and Kuja and Garland kinda makes ya wonder."  
  
"And he said something about Sephiroth probably being stronger."  
  
"But their's more of us now. I'm sure we'll be able to take him." Dagger said positively.  
  
"As long as we're all prepared."  
  
At that very moment Sephiroth burst through the gym doors, his Masamune drawn, a materia in his hand. The MSG.   
  
Zidane jumped to his feet. "SHIT!" He yelled, not bringing a weapon had turned out to be a bad thing after all.  
  
Dagger screamed and jumped back. Sephiroth raised the materia in the air.  
  
"Containment." The simple word left Zidane trapped in a cubical box. He rammed into the walls, trying to break free as Sephiroth made his way to Dagger.  
  
"DON'T TOUCH HER!" Zidane yelled as Sephiroth grabbed her by the arm. Sephiroth dragged her along as he made his way back to the box.  
  
"I'll make the rules, and you will follow them. Another thing, I can bend the rules, as well as break them. You cannot." With that Sephiroth deactivated the shield and stabbed Zidane in the leg. He took his sword out and stabbed the other leg. And then he left the building dragging the screaming Princess with him.  
  
Zidane lay on the ground, his blood collecting in a pool, in total state of shock. He imagined some of the horribal things he would do to his wife. He shuddered and passed out cold as the Shinra medics arrived.  
  
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The string of curses from the big black man was cut by a wave of Cloud's hands. "We don't have time to release our stress through words right now." Cloud said, the group gathered at the Strife's residence. Zidane was sitting in silence in the corner.  
  
"That goddamned Sh@t F$#king mother F$#king bastard. I shoulda known he'da done somethin' like this."  
  
"Try and calm down Barret." Red said, in his calm, negotiative voice.  
  
Eiko sat by Zidane trying to comfort him, while a group of black mages chased each other around the house. Tifa was massaging Cloud's shoulders as he did the same to his temples. Yuffie was wandering around, most likely looking for materia.  
  
Steiner began to argue with Barret on why the Princess was captured. Eiko began to cry because Zidane had pushed her away and the little black mages came running back into the room, knocking over anything that wasn't above 3 feet or nailed to the floor. Yuffie was yelling, asking if anyone had any extra materia. Finally Cloud grabbed Vincent's gun and shot it three times, causing plaster to rain down on the group  
  
"..."  
  
"Good, now that you're all quiet we can get to business. Zidane what did you say Sephiroth used?"  
  
"It was some kinda multi colored orb that kept shifting colors."  
  
"materia?" Yuffie asked.  
  
"Probably." Cloud said, "Must be some new kind."  
  
"So what are we going to do?" Zidane asked helplessly.  
  
"Get her back of course." Tifa replied.  
  
"That's the first step. Then comes Sephiroth."  
  
  
(((R&R, i know its not long, but i'm still workin on ideas here.)))  



	3. Devastation

Chapter 3: Devastation  
  
  
The group had decided to wait in Midgar for the time being. Sephiroth was bound to come back. The only reason, that they could think of, for him kidnapping Garnet was to lure them into a trap. So they waited. And waiter. After 3 weeks of waiting Zidane looked like he was about to explode. His hair was a mess, and he had only been getting about 3 hours of restless sleep for the past six weeks. Cloud was trying to keep track of everyone while helping rebuild Midgar.  
  
"We're going. Today. Now." Zidane said, waking Steiner, Freya, Vivi, Amarant, and Eiko.  
  
The groggy Steiner looked at Zidane carefully for a minute, as if making sure that he wasn't dreaming. Zidane smiled back at the royal guard. "Common Rusty, we don't have all day ya know." This encouraged Steiner to get out of bed, and run after Zidane.  
  
Zidane, however, was much to quick for Steiner, and after only a short while Steiner lay face first in a mud puddle. By now the rest of the group had gotten up and was ready to travel.  
  
"May I ask where we are going?" Freya said, picking up her lance. Zidane had expected this quetions and had asked around Midgar for more information.  
  
"The North Crater, located at the most northern of the planet." Zidane responded.  
  
"How are we gonna get there hot-shot?" Amarant asked the question the group was thinking.  
  
"Hey, I'm a proffesional thief aren't I?" Zidane tried to appear hurt, but traces of real pain were seen in his eyes. The countless hours he had stayed awake, thinking of what might have happened to Garnet, his Garnet.  
  
"So where do you plan on stealing an airship?" Eiko this time.  
  
"Planned that out too." Zidane said smugly.  
  
"Well then let's get going!" Steiner said, jumping up and down in his armor, making the all too familiar "clankity clank."  
  
Instead of continuing the insuing converstation, Zidane turned and left the room, with the others behind him, following him to the rebuilt Shinra building.  
  
"This place doesn't exactly look like it is very friendly." Eiko said. Freya, who was standing next to the girl nodded in agreement.  
  
"The airship is located at the very top of the building. It's state of the art, they just barely finished building it. Apparently the people in this dimension are a lot farther along on airship design then us." Zidane said, looking up the many floors of the Shinra building. "So what's it gonna be? Stairs or the Elevator?"  
  
Freya thought it out for a moment. "Obviously the stairs, we will less likely be discovered that way." With that decision the group proceeded up the stairs. They moved at a running pace, trying to cover the many stairs quickly. Eiko tried to count the endless steps to pass the time, but soon found out that she couldn't count that high.  
  
"Look...here's (huff) a sign (huff)" Zidane said, pointing to a sign with the number 34 on it.  
  
Steiner looked at the sign for a moment, completely out of breath. "I (huff) think (huff) we're (huff) about (huff) half-way (huff) there." Steiner managed.  
  
"I'd say not quite half." Amarant added, breathing fine. Then the group continued on up, their pace slower this time, trying to keep everyone together. Eiko and Steiner were slowly falling behind even with the more moderate pace.  
  
"Let's take a break here." Zidane said, catching his breath once again. Steiner's red face nodded in agreement. "Look, here's another sign." Zidane once again pointed to a sign. "68. Humm, getting closer." After a few minutes they journeyed on through the huge building.  
  
Finally, they reached the top. Eiko was in Zidane's arms, and Steiner colapsed upon their destination. "There's the airship." Zidane pointed at the giant mass of metal.  
  
"Amazing." Freya said, looking at the ship with awe.  
  
"They call it the NightHawk." Zidane had found this bit of information during his research time.  
  
Amarant crossed his arms and looked at the ship, trying to appear unimpressed. But the ship itself dwarfed the Highwind in almost everyway. Even citizens of The Planet would stand in astonishment if they stood by the ship.  
  
The group climbed the rope ladder of the ship to find themselves admist the most spectacular sight they had seen so far. Zidane walked over to the controls. "I THINK I know how to run this thing." He said, playing with the switches and levers for a moment.  
  
Suddenly the ships engines lit up as the combustion process of the rocket propelent started. Everyone fell to the floor, including Zidane, as the ship blasted off out of Midgar and into the night.  
  
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Elsewhere in Midgar, Tifa and Cloud sleep side by side in their home. A bright blast came in through the window. The two jolted up at the same time. Tifa, who wasn't wearing anything, didn't seem to mind Cloud's approving glance. But, quickly his attention was turned back to the quickly departing airship.  
  
"Damnit..." He mumbled, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes. "50 thousand gil says it's Zidane."  
  
Tifa grabbed her clothes, knowing well that they were going out, and responded, "Where do you think he's going? How would he have figured out where Sephiroth is?" She asked, pulling up her underwear.  
  
"I dunno," Cloud mumbled, hoping around on one foot, trying to get into his boxers. Finally, the couple managed to get dressed and out to the gate. They made their way outside, now with Barret, Yuffie, Cait Sith, Vincent, and Cid, in pursuit. Cid reved up the Highwind's engine and blasted off into the general direction of the airship.  
  
A laugh echoed into the night as the airship turned into a small prick in the night's sky. A red energy orb appeared over Midgar. "The fools, I knew they wouldn't hold out forever." Mocked the voice. The energy orb grew in the night, casting shadows of red everywhere. The insomniacs began to scream in horror as they saw silver hair shimmering in the blood red light above the city streets.  
  
Sephiroth then threw the glowing red orb into the panicking streets below. It made contact with the ground and exploded. People flew threw the air, some no more than a molten piece of fried flesh. Others screaming as their arms or legs fell to the ground, ten feet from where they lay. Sephiroth's horrid laugh rang out in their dying ears. Then the shock wave hit and the buildings were torn from the ground like they were nothing. More screams rang out, crying could be heard.  
  
Sephiroth looked down at a crying baby, his mother was laying about 5 feet away. Only her head was missing. The baby wailed to the night, not knowing fully what had happened. He floated to the ground and stuck his Masamune into the baby's throught. He flicked his blade free of the blood and flew off, wondering how soon it would be until Cloud and the others returned.  



	4. Pugnare

OK, before I start this chapter I have a few things to say: It's been a while since I've worked on this story, and had to read through it again to remember where I was going. So this chapter may seem a little off, or different, some of both. Just, bear with me.  
  
Also, towards one of the reviewers: "Info?" If you'd like to argue with me about Zidane's weapons, Trance, and who's more powerful, feel free to drop me a line. Netraveler6545@hotmail.com  
  
Now that that's cleared up:  
  
Chapter 4:  
  
The Nighthawk flew through the night in some erratic pattern that could only be made by one who was skilled with the controls, and was attempting to maneuver to dodge oncoming attacks, or by someone who had no idea what he was doing whatsoever.  
  
The Highwind trailed a little further behind, and Tifa was able to witness the sudden red flash in the distance behind them.  
  
"What was that?" Her fearful voice blurted out, breaking the monotony of the engines hum.  
  
Cloud shrugged. "We've got more important things."  
  
Cid looked at the instruments of the great ship and back to Cloud, "We're headed for the North Crater."  
  
"I figured as much," came the dull reply.  
  
"He has no idea what he's gitten into." Barret whispered, hanging slightly over the rail in the front of the ship.  
  
Vincent sat in a corner, his eyes closed, perhaps resting, too afraid to fully go to sleep. Dreams would plague him all too well.  
  
Cloud looked over at Tifa, and for the first time since they had lifted off, he smiled.  
  
She smiled back, their love for each other had only grown since the wedding, and Cloud was glad that no real fights had broken out. Not even a small skirmish over where socks went when they were dirty.  
  
He laughed aloud to himself in the night, the thoughts in his head making his uneasy mind somewhat humored.  
  
The temperature dropped, and Cloud turned back to the front of the ship to see the North Crater loom on the horizon.  
  
"Shall I land by them?" Cid asked, as he lit up.  
  
Cloud nodded and turned to Barret. "We may have to restrain them and bring them back to Midgar. There's no way we can fight Sephiroth as two separate groups, we have to be united, I'm sure those other's are here to.  
  
"Yea, I don't much like dis any more than you do…." He replied to his good friend.  
  
Yuffie jumped from her seat as the jolt of landing awakened her. "My material!" She gasped, suddenly reaching for her pockets, and then sighing.  
  
The group laughed, even the most relaxed of the group was now having nightmares.  
  
Cloud jumped down the ladder, five rungs at a time, and then slid down the last bit and jumped off, running after the group that was walking ahead of them.  
  
Zidane turned as he heard footsteps.  
  
"You…" He said, not sure what else to say.  
  
Cloud eyed the man carefully. For the first time he saw him. Here in the dark, he saw Zidane for the first time.  
  
Cloud sighed, trying to think of what to do. Suddenly very confused. Of course, if he were in the same position he'd be running off to save Tifa. Nothing would stand in his way…  
  
"We're here to help." Cloud responded.  
  
Zidane nodded, and the group began walking again, Zidane still limping slightly.  
  
Suddenly an unmistakable laugh resounded in the cavern of the North Crater.  
  
Cloud and his group looked up immediately, seeing the dark presence that floated in mid air.  
  
Sephiroth slowly lowered himself to the ground, looking at the bunch of characters before him.  
  
"It looks like I brought you over with the villains of your world…" He muttered to no one imparticular.  
  
Zidane simply starred at the being for the second time.  
  
Sephiroth smiled back. And then he brought his hand now occupied by the great Masamune into plain view.  
  
The one's who recognized the glowing orb gasped, while those from a different time and place simply starred in baffled confusion.  
  
"It's…it's beautiful…" It was Yuffie of course.  
  
The glowing orb changed colors, as they mixed and mingled inside, swirling about.  
  
"It is also your doom." Sephiroth said, amused by the attention the orb brought.  
  
"Flash."  
  
The word came from Sephiroth's mouth, and the orb suddenly blinded all but him. He took his Masamune and stepped over to Zidane.  
  
"Zidane…I'm scared…" Vivi was groping around, trying to figure out what had happened.  
  
Suddenly the black mage screamed in agony.  
  
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Cloud and Zidane yelled it out at the same time.  
  
Only laughter in return.  
  
Suddenly Zidane tumbled to the ground, after feeling something connect with the back of his head.  
  
"That's…it…" He said, picking himself back up.  
  
A strange light seemed to emanate from his body, and he was suddenly transformed into some beastly creature, that only resembled him.  
  
"Time for you to do." The beast of Zidane said to Sephiroth.  
  
Sephiroth cocked his head to one said and looked at wonderment at the being. "Fascinating…" He breathed.  
  
"Acquire."  
  
Again the material glowed, and a single beam of light came from Zidane and was absorbed by the material.  
  
"Anything else you're willing to give me?"  
  
Zidane growled and charged Sephiroth.  
  
"You might find this familiar." Sephiroth said, as he jumped into the air, easily dodging Zidane's increased speed and power attack. He held the material again, and it glowed yet again.  
  
"Deffera Ultima." The two words brought the cave ceiling crashing in, and the Ultima from Zidane's world came crashing in upon the two groups of heroes.  
  
Sephiroth laughed as he watched Cloud's group managed to block all the attack, and as Zidane's group was rendered quite near useless without their black mage.  
  
Zidane however took the hit and looked at Sephiroth with eyes intent upon killing.  
  
"Where's Dagger?!" He demanded.  
  
"Probably dead…" Sephiroth said casually. "I gave her to those friends of yours…Necron? Garland? Kuja? Any of those ring a bell?"  
  
Zidane yelled out and charged in at Sephiroth. His Ultima Weapon, (for those that haven't played, think Darth Maul's lightsaber only with swords on either end) slashing and cutting at Sephiroth, but each time the cling of the Masamune deflecting the blow was heard, again and again.  
  
Sephiroth was expending almost no energy, while Zidane was becoming more and more exhausted, trying to stay in trance as long as he possible could.  
  
"Diminish." Sephiroth spoke the word, deflected another blow, and the material began to glow again. Zidane was blown against the wall, thrown out of trance, and all of his strength, dexterity, speed, and stamina were greatly reduced.  
  
Zidane looked at Sephiroth through half open eyes before stumbling to his feet.  
  
Cloud, however, jumped into the fray. "That's enough Sephiroth." His piercing Mako eyes glared down at Sephiroth's own pair.  
  
"Hehehe, foolish child, you think you can stop me?"  
  
"I've already done just that once." Cloud jabbed back in the verbal fight.  
  
"I was without my key weapon." He held the material high, just so Cloud would get the point.  
  
Cloud pulled a material of his own, and suddenly cast a multitude of spells. It was the Master Magic material. Regan, Haste, Wall, then Reflect. Followed by a quick Ultima on Sephiroth.  
  
Knowing this would come, Sephiroth had already jumped high into the air, dodging the glowing green mass of destruction.  
  
But, what he didn't predict, was Cloud was in the air as well. And with the flat end of his Ultima Sword he sent Sephiroth flying back down into the still growing green mass.  
  
Cloud landed lightly on his feet, the material in his hand glowing again. Green curative dust seemed to sprinkle around Zidane as Cloud cast Cure3.  
  
Then, he turned back to Sephiroth. "I can see you're stronger here, and you have a new play thing. But you're outnumbered by far. There's nothing you can do here to win."  
  
Sephiroth chuckled again, until it turned into a rolling laughter that echoed throughout the cavern, a laugh that would chill the bones of the devil himself.  
  
"FOOLS!"  
  
Necron, Kuja, and Garland suddenly appeared, ambushing Freya, Vivi, Steiner, Amarant, and Eiko. Zidane was barely able to move, even after the curative magic.  
  
And then something even more unexpected happened. Monsters. Dragons. Every imaginable type came flooding through the entrance, trying to kill anything and everything in their way, with Sephiroth floating high above, still laughing.  
  
As the group was overwhelmed Sephiroth made his way out of the cave, hoping for their demise, but knowing well they'd be back for more.  
  
  
  
Tifa, battered and bruised, cried out as she saw what they had to return to.  
  
Midgar was nothing more than a pile of ashes, and burning buildings now. The earth around the city was scorched, some of it burned into glass due to the extreme heat.  
  
"…Sephiroth…" It was Cloud, a lone tear making its way down his face, trying to carve the lines of sadness into the battle hardened visage.  
  
Yuffie sat down hard, letting out the air in her lungs quickly. "My God…"  
  
Red surveyed the damage. "Obviously he is much more powerful than we ever anticipated. This is no magic I have ever heard or read about." His voice was solemn, even more so than usual.  
  
Barret simply swallowed hard and sniffled back the chocking sensation he was filling. His life of tragedy continued. Dyne. North Corel. Biggs. Wedge. Jesse. He punched the ground with his gun arm and let a few rounds go.  
  
Freya leaned herself upon her lance, not sure what to say or do.  
  
Amarant was leaning on a tree, battling with demons of his own.  
  
Vivi was watching with fearful eyes, looking to the sky, and then back to Midgar. "What kind of a monster does this?" His voice trembling.  
  
Zidane lowered his head. "Dagger…Damn it! Why couldn't I save her!"  
  
Silence.  
  
After a while Cloud broke it. "None of us could."  
  
Cait Sith waddled over to Zidane. "It's not your fault. Besides, we'll find a way to save her. I know these guys better than you, and they've never failed…Although…" He cut himself off, he didn't want to divulge that he had once been a traitor to them, the memory was one he would like to forget.  
  
Cloud whipped away another tear. "Zidane, she's alive. Sephiroth has a use for her, and that's to bait us into his traps. He knew you would figure out how to get to the North Crater. He knew we'd try and stop you. And then he made his attack, while our defenses were down. And after that, the North Crater turned out to be nothing more than a trap anyway…" Cloud was apparently in deep thought now.  
  
"We have to figure out how to outsmart the little ^@%^!" Cid replied, lighting up another cig.  
  
The rest nodded.  
  
"We'll go to Kalm for now…" Tifa whispered, still recovering from the shock of Midgar being destroyed. Cloud had worked so hard. They had made friends their, built a community within the structure. That city had been a happy place again, not a dreary mako sucking factory. But now all that was gone.  
  
Now more than ever they had to stop Sephiroth. 


	5. Regroup

Chapter 5: Regroup  
  
Cloud sat alone in the dark room. It was an unusual darkness, in the fact that it felt dark. The gloominess Cloud seemed to eminate, the utter hopelessness. Another tear escaped for only the second time since Aeris had died, and both happened with the same set of 24 hours.  
  
He searched his heart for something other than dispair. Midgar was gone. Hundreds. Thousands of lives had disappeared in one massive explosion of evil and hatred, poured into pure energy. Cloud shuddered at the thought of Sephiroth enjoying the mass destruction and devastation he was inflicting upon the Planet and Its people. Midgar had changed after all, the use of Mako energy had been replaced by other more efficient, and more environmentally good for the Planet.  
  
The people had changed, the lines between Upper and Below Plate people had begun to blur, soon to be erased forever. All the giving he could give to the city was for nothing. Nothing. The exact same feeling that seemed to fill the bottom of his stomach. Like some void, expanding its nothingness.  
  
A slight rap on the door was followed by a slight creak as the door swung slowly open. Cloud dully noted to oil the hinge sometime in the future. Tifa's slender hand preceeded her body as she slipped in the door. Light filtered through the crack she had created, and as Tifa looked into Cloud's eyes, horror filled her heart.  
  
The man she had once known was devastated beyond anything she had seen. The last time his face resembled anything close to that visage which starred emptily out at her was when Aeris had gasped for her last few breaths of air.  
  
With a swift movement she quickly and quietly closed the door. If only to escape from the horrid expression of hopelessness.  
  
"Cloud," The whisper was barely audible, even in the complete silence of the room.  
  
And yet, the reply came back even quieter. Perhaps not. Tifa thought to herself. Perhaps its just the helplessness giving less volume to his voice.  
  
"Cloud, you have to eat sometime." The two, or rather Tifa, continued to talk in the mist of darkness in the second story building of Kalm's hotel. "It's been over three days now."  
  
No response.  
  
"Cloud, it's not your fault. You couldn't have stopped it. None of us could have." She starred into the abyss, feeling as if she was talking into a vacuum, the sound leaving her lips, but getting no farther. "We're all worried you know. Me most of all." She starred at her feet, trying to pierce the darkness and get a glimpse of something tangible.  
  
"Cloud, you're our leader. You're the one we look up to for strength and courage. The one who never breaks down. The one who stands up to the face of evil and spits in its eye. You're the one we need for support, for guidance. We work as a team, but a team without a leader is useless."  
  
Her words became choked at the end as tears began to well up in her eyes.  
  
"I failed."  
  
The whisper was nearly inaudible.  
  
"What?" Tifa perked up at finally getting a response.  
  
"I FAILED!" He screamed back at her. Tifa took a couple steps back, stumbling and almost falling on her back. It felt as if all the air had been sucked from her lungs, and her heart seemed to skip a beat. "You shouldn't look up to a failure. I'm no leader, I'm nothing but a loser, a failure even at that..." His voice returned to a more normal level, and again dropped off to a whisper at the end.  
  
Tifa stepped forward, grabbing Cloud's shoulders as gruffly as she could. She stooped down to Cloud's sitting level and brought her face so close she could feel his breath, and she thought she felt his tears as well, but she made no other contact than the shoulders.  
  
"Now Cloud Strife, you listen to me, and you listen to me good." She shook him slightly to make sure she had his attention. "The city is gone, and what's happened has happened and there's not a damn thing you can do to undue what's been done."  
  
She pressed her cheek against his, engulfing him in a giant hug. She felt the shuddering of his body, the quiver from the lack of food.  
  
The door suddenly burst open, and the two separated instantly, Tifa on her feet, Cloud sitting in his pool of his dispair. Yuffie's silhoutte stood panting in the door, the bright light behind her blinding the pair inside the room.  
  
"Monsters, all kinds of monsters are infesting Midgar!" She, had to pause for breath. "We went on a salvage mission, but- and, its not just normal monsters! It's like an army! They have organization to them!"  
  
Tifa instantly knew what was going on, and she was well aware that Cloud knew also. "He's doing it. He's organizing them."  
  
Then, Yuffie caught on. "He's going to try and take over the world?" Tifa's grim nod was her only reply.  
  
With a quick movement Tifa reeled on Cloud. "Damnit Cloud! Snap out of, this is where we need you the most. None of us know what to do from here!"  
  
Cloud looked up at her, his eyes still bleak. "What makes you think I do?" His voice sounded brittle.  
  
She growled, grabbing him and picking him off his thrown of self-drowning. She carried him out of the room, Yuffie following behind. With a thud, Cloud was set down on a chair that was one of many surrounding a table large enough to account for both parties staying at the house.  
  
Cloud, deciding to forgo further humiliation ate what food was presented to him, and soon was feeling much better. Yet, he was alone now in the room, Tifa had gone to the other room to help Yuffie brief the others.  
  
And with sudden resolve, Cloud decided to join them.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Two soldiers of low rank within the recently organized Wutain Resistance Force sat behind what little cover they had.  
  
"My GOD! There's so many!" The trepidation filling the soldier's voice was causing a slight shake to it.  
  
The other sat in baffled silence, his mouth hanging slightly open, his eyes peeled wide.  
  
"They're too fast! Who knew they could organize such numbers so quickly. We have to report!"  
  
The one speaking dragged the second to his feet. That's when he found his vocal chords again and let out a piercing scream.  
  
A few patrolling monsters had spotted the two lone soldiers and were bearing down on them. Their speed was a little slow, for one of the soldiers was able to let out a scream before falling lifeless.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Cloud sat, starring at the map in front of him. They had moved their base of operations from Kalm to Wutai, and evacuated all Kalm citizens to cities of their choice around the world. The WRF was the first force organized against Sephiroth's army, and thus, all other resistances were asked to join, and soon the acronym stood for Wutain Resistance Force as well as World Resistance Force. Cloud simply used WRF.  
  
The map showed what little they knew of the Midgar rubble. Planning to go on the offensive was a risky move, but of the five teams sent to survey the forces Sephiroth had built up, none had returned. Cloud figured this as a move to either hide their weakness, or the amassed strength. Either way an offensive would be the opportune plan. No need to let them become any stronger.  
  
His head drifted from the map, and gazed out a nearby window into a field where training new recruits was still taking place. The WRF was no army of SOLDIERs, but it was the best they could build up now, Sephiroth had already destroyed Midgar, and was likely to attack again soon.  
  
The door creaked slightly and Cloud jerked around to see Tifa leaning against it. "Zidane's getting anxious."  
  
Cloud nodded, the guy hadn't seen his princess in quite some time now. "How bad?"  
  
"He's picked four fights this afternoon, and tried to make a break for the airship yard."  
  
Cloud nodded again. "How's the rest of his team holding up?" By team, Cloud meant a sort of special operatives team. He had grouped those from the other dimension into one team, and the group that had stopped Meteor and defeated Sephiroth once before into another. They were the ones that would be leading the assault, and also the ones that were to find and kill Sephiroth.  
  
The intense training that the past few weeks had held was not only for the army recruits, but for Cloud and the rest as well. The two teams had trained ferocisly against one another, and it always seemed to come down to Cloud and Zidane facing off one on one.  
  
Cloud was almost always the victor, but his opponent fought with amazing emotional energy. Zidane was learning to channel his emotion from the lessons Cloud taught to him every fight. He was becoming better, and what he didn't know, was that he was bettering Cloud at the same time.  
  
Tifa tapped her fingers quietly, enough to regain Cloud's attention. "Ah, Zidane, find him and tell him that we leave for the attack tomarrow." 


End file.
